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Luck Of The Irish?

Ryanair may be having
financial troubles, like most other airlines, but that doesn't mean
it's going to forego new aircraft. The Irish low-cost carrier
Thursday said it had ordered 70 Boeing aircraft valued at $4
billion.

The orders -- all for 737-800s -- are considered firm. That
brings the total number of aircraft Ryanair has on order from
Boeing to 225, with 193 on option.

"The 737-800 has
significantly reduced our unit operating costs and allowed us to
reduce our air fares each year for the last five years," said
Ryanair CEO David Bonderman. "This will enable Ryanair to offer
even lower fares and underpin our growth strategy as we plan to
double traffic from 34 million passengers in 2005-06 to more than
70 million passengers in 2011-12," Bonderman said.